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WWE SmackDown star Sami Zayn has addressed whether he has fully turned heel following his attack on the gingerbread man during last week's show. Zayn provided an explanation regarding his current character alignment after the incident.
WWE SmackDown's May 8, 2026 episode will feature Tiffany Stratton vs. Kiana James for the Women's United States Championship and Damian Priest vs. Talla Tonga. The show will also include segments with Jacob Fatu, Cody Rhodes, and Sami Zayn, plus a six-woman tag match featuring Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Fatal Influence.
WWE NXT Women's North American Champion Tatum Paxley has discussed her character evolution since debuting as a powerlifter in 2022. Paxley indicated that her original powerlifter character was not something she felt would connect with people, leading to her subsequent character shift.
Bully Ray pitched on "Busted Open Radio" that Paul Heyman should get involved in a WWE Backlash match. Ray suggested Heyman's surprise involvement during the event.
Chelsea Green confirmed she will not appear on the May 8 WWE SmackDown as she continues recovering from her recent heart procedure for SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). Green announced on Twitter that doctors have her on bed rest, and she revealed that the surgery took three hours with doctors requiring her to stay awake during the final hour. Despite being sidelined, Green stated she has already started pitching creative ideas to WWE during her recovery.
Figures within WWE are reportedly speculating that Danhausen's Backlash mystery partner will be a celebrity recently seen in the company. The identity of Danhausen's partner remains unknown ahead of the event.
WWE's media rights contracts with NBC Universal and Fox covering the period from 2019 to 2024 have been made public through a shareholder lawsuit. The contracts were previously not publicly available until being disclosed as part of the legal proceedings.
WWE United States Champion Trick Williams has explained why he believes WWE fans chose him over Sami Zayn in their ongoing rivalry. Williams stated, "If You Sleep On Your Opponent, You Can Get Woken Up," suggesting that underestimating an opponent can lead to consequences.
Jacob Fatu revealed that drug problems and personal struggles nearly destroyed his wrestling career, causing him to miss wrestling bookings including a show for Booker T. Speaking with Peter Rosenberg, Fatu admitted he had "one foot in the streets and another foot in wrestling" and that his addiction worsened during the pandemic, but he believes the timing of his WWE career worked out perfectly because joining earlier would have likely resulted in his release.
Dave Meltzer has provided an update regarding WWE offering pay cuts to its talent following WrestleMania 42. The report contains additional details about the previously reported pay cuts affecting WWE performers.
The director of Netflix's Hulk Hogan documentary revealed that a major story about Jesse Ventura and the infamous WWE union controversy was filmed but cut from the final version. According to director Bryan Storkel, the documentary originally included discussion about Ventura's failed attempt to organize a wrestler union and Hogan's alleged involvement in stopping it, but the segment was removed because it didn't fit structurally with the chronological format and felt like too much of a tangent.
Dave Meltzer has provided new information regarding Roman Reigns' WWE schedule for July. The report indicates that Reigns has a reported absence planned for next month and includes updates on his upcoming WWE appearances.